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I ment that origami is one illusion David copperfeild does in his show.

K ready to be impressed? Mine [origami] is smaller than the one DC has.
oh yes you read me correctly I said smaller!!!
Yay for me!

isn't the lean a bit costly

The lean may seem costly but it is a great effect for stage and cabaret you can add it to lots of routines.

but for arround a thousand dollars its a bit costly for a few seconds to a routine

butt


it's still cool

krazy ace wrote:but for arround a thousand dollars its a bit costly for a few seconds to a routine

buttit's still cool

To a WORKING PRO that's not a big investment on an effect.

Think about this; a bit like the Sawing in Half now retails for between $8,500.00 and as much as $15,000.00 for a standard unit depending on the builder used. It delivers 3-5 minutes of time on stage for most...

This can be said for the majority of major illusions but then you have things like a $2,000.00 hoop put out by Owens, just to pass over your floating lady and prove no physical connection... to the working pro, this is a sound investment where it probably wouldn't be to the typical enthusiast.

Magic is priced at certain levels not because you're paying for the secret (one of the biggest lies ever told), but so as to insure quality of a device and to keep it out of the hands of those that just want to goof around with it rather than use it for what it was designed for -- to be a working tool for professionals.

Today prices are even higher due to the thefts and unsanctioned replication of devices via the "black market of magic" that simply does not respect creative propriety let alone their patrons who end up with a sub-standard piece of equipment that typically will not withstand the rigors of regular use, such as a pro model would deliver.

"Cost" or perhaps I should say "expense" is something of perception. If you were a Billionaire you would not think $1,000.00 all so much. This is a very valuable lesson I learned years ago when working with the PR company that coordinated events for Ford Motors. We're talking about a company that would drop $3million for a single night's promotion introducing a new car model for the new year e.g. my presentation that was coming in at over half a million, wasn't much for concern... BY THEIR POINT OF VIEW to me, it was like asking for the moon however.

Moral of the story is... you must keep things in perspective when looking at these devices and understand why they are as they are. The final bit of business not mentioned thus far, is the number of man-hours that goes into building such things. Very little magic is mass produced e.g. the builder wants compensation for his time, years of experience, resources and skills; wouldn't you say that's worth about $35.00 an hour in the majority of cases?

yes but

i like to make my own magic i find it a bonus to the hobby as i am the diy kind of person so thats why i am looking for plans and i'd rather have the stisfaction if completeing it than just having it and know how to do it.

There's nothing wrong with that and there are plan books out there (most of which are a bit expensive though) including stuff from Jim Stinemeyer, Rand Woodbury, and several other "genius" types.

My suggestion would be to start with the Paul Osborne Illusion Systems books in that they will introduce you to certain variables most who are not experienced in magic, need to know. You will want to get the older Byron Wells books as well, just so you can see the foundation from whence certain magic comes from in today's world (there is not one reputable builder I know of that don't have these books).

Then you want to put on your thinking cap and study how each builder creates a prop, espcially the all so important base and how to make it look waffer thin. There's more to it than just the physical design of the base, there are material considerations as well along with how it will be finished; what parts will have a more glossy vs. flat finish vs. chrome, etc.

There is far more behind big illusions than having the box and knowing the technique and if you are going to go the the added effort of building your own stuff, you owe it to yourself to think it out and see what is going to be the most practical for your needs and typical performance setting.